


You and Me Against the World

by crumplelush



Series: Andreil Week 2019 [4]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Aquariums, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 21:45:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19754389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crumplelush/pseuds/crumplelush
Summary: Andrew likes to take Neil on dates.





	You and Me Against the World

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4: japan | **aquarium** | concert

The thing that has surprised Andrew the most about his relationship with Neil was the discover that Andrew was, in fact, romantic. It’s not something he ever would have guessed from his previous interactions with men, and it’s not something that anyone who saw him and Neil together would ever think, but it was true nonetheless.

Not that Neil had noticed. Neil was a remarkably intelligent and very observant man in most respects. But when it came to sex, romance, or relationships he might as well be wearing a blindfold. And not in the fun way. But that didn’t change the fact that Andrew was a romantic at heart.

Every year on their anniversary Andrew made Neil put on some respectable clothes and took him out to the nicest restaurant that Andrew could afford on a student stipend. Neil wasn’t even aware they _had_ an anniversary. Andrew liked buying Neil gifts. He liked dressing Neil up. He liked taking him out. OK it wasn’t hearts and flowers and giant pink teddy bears, but it was romance nonetheless.

Neil’s lack of romantic affections didn’t bother him in the slightest. In fact, Andrew preferred it that way. If Neil didn’t notice romance then he couldn’t call Andrew out on it and Andrew wouldn’t have to admit out loud that that’s what he was doing. And he didn’t need that from Neil. He was with him for his sharp tongue, his quick wit, his easy smile. For a whole host of other reasons that Andrew wouldn’t, couldn’t, put into words.

All of this was to say, that Andrew asking Neil out on a date was not anything unexpected or out of the ordinary. So quite why Andrew felt like his heart was in his throat was anyone’s guess.

It was Neil’s last year at Palmetto, Andrew was a rookie for the Atlanta Sharks and had managed to swing a few days off that coincided with Neil’s spring break. They decided to spend the week holed up in Andrew’s apartment, doing nothing but each other. Neil was ostensibly still being courted by pro-teams, but it looked like he was going to be signing with the San Diego Coyotes. A thirty hour drive or 7 hour flight away from Andrew. A whole world away.

At the moment they were close enough that one could drive down in a matter of hours and soon that would no longer be the case. Andrew wasn’t sure how he was going to deal his relationship becoming even more long-distance, and he wasn’t looking forward to finding out. So Andrew was making the most of every second with Neil.

To whit, after they’d spent the whole weekend in bed, Andrew threw some jeans at Neil on Monday morning and told him to make himself presentable as they were going out. They’d had a quick shower – where Neil’s mouth had almost convinced Andrew out of his plan – a quicker breakfast, and were in Andrew’s car on the way to the Georgia Aquarium.

Andrew bought tickets and then followed Neil as he ran around like an over excited puppy.

“Andrew look! It’s an octopus!” he exclaimed with glee, like this was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

“I can see that” Andrew said drily. The octopus in question had marks above its eyes that looked like angry eyebrows.

“Ha! It looks like you, you’re both frowning” Neil said as he made Andrew stand in front of the display to take a photograph, making sure the flash was off before snapping one.

The day continued in much the same vein. Neil loved sea life. Beaches gave him terrible nightmares, but fish and aquatic animals? He was like the proverbial kid in the candy store. The sight of Neil unabashedly having so much fun soothed Andrew’s soul, even though the knot in Andrew’s stomach grew. How was he going to manage without this? He wasn’t worried about Neil meeting someone else, but what if he decided that Andrew was too much trouble once he wasn’t in easy reach? What if he didn’t want Andrew anymore? What if, what if, what if?

They reach the large enclosure that houses the manta rays and whale sharks, along with some other much smaller fish. Neil plasters himself to the glass, hands either side of his face, looking for all the world like the six year olds on a school trip next to him. Andrew snorts in amusement and snaps himself a photo. Only his silhouette is visible, the light from the tank backlighting him and rendering his feature invisible. It doesn’t matter, Andrew will remember anyway.

They listen to the aquarium employee telling an amusing story about a man who bought what he thought was a catfish, but it had soon outgrew his tank. Not knowing what to do he’d put the four foot fish in a wheelie bin and brought it in to the aquarium where it had been identified as a whale shark and had lived at the aquarium ever since, having been donated by the duped buyer.

Neil turns around with a mischievous look on his face and Andrew knows that whatever is about to come out of his mouth is going to be phenomenally stupid. “Andrew look, it’s your brother.”

Andrew knows Neil isn’t talking about Aaron.

Neil points to the whale shark that swims gracefully past the window. “Because he’s a shark, and you’re an Atlanta Shark, get it?”

And there it is.

“I hate you” he says, and Neil’s answering grin says that he doesn’t believe Andrew for one second.

The school trip moves onto the next room, leaving Neil and Andrew alone with the sharks. Neil makes Andrew stand next to the window to try and get a photo. He’s standing from the side so Andrew’s features will be highlighted by the tank lights, not obliterated, and he fusses for ages. Andrew crosses his arms and glares, pretending for absolutely no one that he’s hating every second of this. Finally the whale shark swims back round again and Neil gets the shot he wants. His pleased smile when he looks down at the resulting image makes Andrew’s heart leap in his chest.

“Marry me” he blurts out.

Neil’s head snaps up.

“You’re going to be across the country where I can’t reach you. I just know you’re going to get yourself into some terrible trouble and I’d rather not fight law enforcement, your coach, and a hospital admissions team after a seven hour flight.”

Luckily Neil is fluent in Andrew-ese and can translate. “I’m worried about being apart from you too”, he says. The churning in Andrew’s stomach gets worse the longer Neil doesn’t answer his question.

Neil laughs. “Of course I’ll marry you Andrew.”

The churning stops and the sheer relief that Andrew feels literally forces him forward into Neil’s arms. He reaches into his pocket and grabs the ring box he’d stowed there earlier and shoves it in Neil’s face. Neil grabs at it and snaps it open, taking out the ring and inspecting it for a second before jamming it on his finger with no fanfare. It’s a simple gold band. No more, no less. No fancy words, no precious gems, no unnecessary details. Just a band – plain and simple. Like them.

Andrew smiles softly and leans forward to kiss Neil, quickly and privately. They separate before any can wander in and interrupt them, but Neil threads their fingers together and they walk around the rest of the aquarium holding hands. Andrew can feel Neil’s ring press into his palm and he rubs his own fingers over it, ignoring Neil’s smile as he does so.

Andrew doesn’t know what the future will bring. He doesn’t know how they’ll manage being apart from one another, or how long it will be until they can be together again. But the one thing he does know is that he’s not alone in this. Whatever comes their way they will face it together. A long time ago Neil gave his back to Andrew. And somewhere along the way, Andrew had decided to give his to Neil.

**Author's Note:**

> I have never been to the Georgia aquarium, so this is entirely based off the London Sea Life centre, which I have been to. To story about the guy turning up with a shark in a wheelie bin is absolutely true. It happened back in 2012 and he turned up saying "my catfish won't stop growing", only to be told by a marine biologist "sir, that's a shark". The shark now lives in the aquarium quite happily and is very beautiful. You can go snorkeling with them if you wish.
> 
> Title is from an Apoptygma Berzerk album.


End file.
